A few weeks ago I had talked about velomobiles, and my interest in giving them a shot for commuting to work. Today, I had the chance to test drive a go-one3 velomobile--a red version of the one pictured at right. (As you may recall, I was interested in a WAW, but it wasn't right for my short frame, and I also liked some aspects of the go-one3 better.) So, are velomobiles the cars of the future? I don't think so, but understanding why might lead to positive changes in transportation.

I took a test drive of the go-one3 at Bluevelo, a new Toronto-based company selling the vehicles. It turns out that the company is based out of a house that's about 30 seconds from my front door. So while I learned of Bluevelo's existence on the internet, it's located around the corner. What are the odds?

The owner of Bluevelo, Ray Mickevicius, is extremely friendly, dedicated and knowledgeable. I showed up at his place around 2:00 PM today, walking round back where I saw him working on some of his vehicles. As I got closer, I could see three velomobiles--a WAW, Cab-Bike and go-one3 (see his site for pictures)--as well as a trailer sporting the Bluevelo logo.

In real life, the velomobiles are just as cool as they look in the photos. Probably the best thing I can compare them to is an upside-down fiberglass canoe meshed with an F-16 fighter jet riding atop a large, flattened, backwards tricycle. They're shiny and sleek, and look like they're moving even when standing still.

Ray quickly got me set up with the go-one3. This involved adjusting the pedals for my height. As he was doing this, I noted that the velomobiles are not all that complex. They are essentially fiberglass or carbon-fiber bodies riding on a modified recumbent tricycle frame. All-in-all, they are highly utilitarian in design. I mentioned all of this to Ray and he responded that the genius is in how the designs keep the weight low.

That may be true, but for upwards of $9,000, you'd be forgiven for expecting something a bit fancier. Case in point: When getting in and out of the go-one3, you have to be careful where you step for fear of damaging the fiberglass body. Apparently this isn't such a concern with the carbon-fiber version, but I'd still expect something a little sturdier when paying nearly as much as I would for a subcompact car.

Once I was set up, Ray encouraged me to take a quick ride up and down his street to get used to everything. To do so, I had to pedal down a driveway, which Ray encouraged me to exit on an angle for fear of damaging the go-one3's undercarriage. That's because both the WAW and the go-one3 have extremely low ground clearance, probably about three or four inches. This was another worrisome thing to note. It might be hard to make the go-one3 my go-to vehicle if I'm constantly worried about getting stuck atop speedbumps.

When I reached the road, I wanted to kick the go-one3 into high gear. Unfortunately, a few things prevented this. First, the pedal adjustment caused my clip-on shoes to scrape the frame while pedalling. This could be fixed by a seat adjustment, Ray told me, but that wasn't feasible for my test drive. Second, I wasn't used to the weight of the go-one3. While it's about as difficult as a bike to pedal once you get going, it's far harder than a bike to get going from a standing position. I learned quickly that when you reach a stop sign, you need to get in a very low gear if you want to avoid getting run over multiple times when crossing the intersection. I think it took me about five minutes to cross my first street.

After my brief jaunt up and down Ray's street, we headed out for our ride, with him in the WAW and me in the go-one3. As he had warned me, these things aren't for introverts (and, thankfully, I'm quite an extroverted guy). They are total head-turners, and we were stopped a few times by people curious to get a closer look.

After about 15 minutes, I started to get the hang of the go-one3 and could think about the experience. There were some things that were exhilarating. For example, the go-one3 handles like nothing you've ever seen. A mere twitch of its small handle bars sends it flying left or right. This is because the bars control the go-one3's two small front wheels, which are mounted nearly mid-frame. Once you get used to the sensitivity, you can start having loads of fun cutting around obstacles in your path. Before you get used to it, however, you risk finding yourself in a ditch after a sneeze.

Ray and I went for quite a long cruise on a trail by Lake Ontario. Here I had a chance to stretch out and push the go-one3 as fast as my legs would allow. For a short period of time, I could sustain a relatively quick pace, upwards of 35 KpH. But eventually, I had to slow down, thanks to the weight of the vehicle combined with the slightly maladjusted pedals and an unfamiliar riding position. (My muscles burned in different places then when I'm riding my upright bicycle.) Ray says the fastest he has gone on a straightaway is 52 KpH. That's about as fast as I've ever gone on my upright, so there appears to be no speed advantage to the velomobiles, except when facing a headwind due to their improved aerodynamics.

Coasting at those high speeds gave me a taste of what it is like to use the go-one3 with an electric motor. When we returned to Ray's place, he showed me this motor and we discussed it a bit more. The motor is essentially a 12-pound wheel in which the motor makes up the center. It is capable of getting the go-one3 up to 32 KpH--due to legal, not functional reasons, as far as I understand. This is about the speed I was able to reach when pushing myself. It can sustain this on one battery charge for about 30 kilometers, which is more than adequate for getting me to work and back.

So, will I get the go-one3? I need to think some more about my transportation options. The go-one3 is definitely not a car. Riding it made me appreciate all of the amenities cars offer that everyone takes for granted, such as the ability to carry you comfortably in all seasons, protect you from the elements, keep you at a comfortable temperature, hold you in a comfortable seat, allow you to adjust this seat easily for different-sized riders, carry passengers, clear fog off the windshield, wipe water off the windshield, and enter in various ways without worrying about stepping through the floor.

Another issue that must be addressed for velomobiles to succeed is the cost and the supply. One of the reasons they're so expensive right now is that they're made in such small quantities. The go-one3's manufacturer makes just three a month. If I don't order soon, to get the next one coming to Canada in October, I'll have to wait until January 2007.

Even if I don't get a velomobile, however, and they don't become a mainstream hit, I do think that they're valuable in demonstrating new possibilities for travel. Right now, my options for commuting to work are pretty much limited to cars, motorbikes, bicycles, scooters and public transportation. Given Toronto's cold, snow winters, cars and public transportation are really the only all-season options. Clearly, there's room for some competition. Even if they need work, velomobiles show that we can develop some pretty cool alternatives.